BJP and Congress question govt action as Mahanadi River tribunal tenure ends in two months

BHUBANESWAR: As the tenure of the Mahanadi River Water Disputes Tribunal is going to be over after two months, the Opposition BJP and Congress have raised questions on the steps taken by the State government to ensure that rights of Odisha are protected.

Senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra has demanded that the government should come out with a white paper on the matter while Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to convene an all party meeting to discuss the issue. Both the leaders maintained that though the Centre can extend the tenure of the tribunal by two more years, nobody is sure about what is in store.

Alleging that the government has forgotten about the Mahanadi issue, the BJP leader said the ensuing two months are important as the tribunal’s judgement may go in the State’s favour if Odisha’s case is properly placed. But everybody is in the dark over what is going on and the government also seems not interested in the issue, he alleged.

He came down heavily on the ruling BJD and the Congress for remaining silent over the issue. “BJD and Congress had raised the issue in the Assembly and agitated across the State. Why they are silent now?” he questioned.

Stating that water in Mahanadi and its tributaries has already begun drying up in January, Mohapatra said the government should take up the matter seriously and raise the issue in the Parliament so that the people can be aware of future consequences.

Referring to the announcement about construction of six barrages on the downstream of Mahanadi river, Mohapatra said the State government has forgotten about it. He alleged that flow of water in Mahanadi has come down after construction of barrages by Chhattisgarh government on the upstream and the Centre has denied approval to Odisha’s proposal to construct barrages on Ib and Telijor rivers taking the plea of the tribunal.Stating that the Odisha Chief Minister should also take up the issue with his Chhattisgarh counterpart, Bahinipati said Congress will raise the issue in the Budget session of the Assembly.

However, Minister for Commerce and Transport Padmanabha Behera said he firmly believes that the tribunal’s judgement will go in favour of Odisha. “There is a system to take issues before the tribunal and hearing has already been held three times. Odisha will place its side forcefully at the final hearing and the State will get its rightful share of water,” he said. The Centre had notified forming of the tribunal on March 12, 2018.